The times we are living in, is revealing a people who know Jesus personally in a new dimension of “love and intimacy.” These people know who they are in Him. They know they are sons of God. They know they are called and sent by God. They do God’s will regardless of the cost. They live in the fullness of The Holy Spirit. They position themselves in the power of God. They are prepared to face the enemy. They have on the armour of God, the weapons of warfare. “The Belt of Truth! The Breastplate of Righteousness! The Gospel of Peace! The Shield of Faith! The Helmet of Salvation! The Sword of The Spirit! The Powerful Offensive Weapon of Prayer! The Powerful Offensive Weapon of Fasting!”
As an end time people of God, God has planned for you to be fully equipped to win the war!
The people of God have entered into a dramatical new era, a dimension of spiritual warfare.
They know it is time to stand up on their feet and be overcomers for their Master Jesus.
You are called to be strong, to fight, to persevere, to endure, to overcome, to stand fast against the power of the enemy.
Just as God sent Jesus forth in battle fully equipped to destroy satan, He has provided you with the same powerful weapons!
Paul told the Corinthians: “For though in flesh we walk, not according to the flesh do we war, for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but mighty by God, unto a pulling down of strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).
We live in the flesh, in the natural world. But, our warfare is not in the natural world. Our warfare is in the spirit. We are not wrestling or fighting against physical forces that we can see or touch with our natural senses. They are invisible.
We are in one-on-one combat with evil spirits, principalities, powers, world rulers of darkness and hosts of spiritual wickedness in the atmosphere that surrounds this earth.
We are at war with organized demonic forces, spiritual powers and rulers of darkness! Spirits of violence, confusion, greed, hate, murder, fear, lust, perversion-that are hovering over our cities, communities and nations. They are everywhere! On the streets, in our places of work, everywhere!
Their objective
- To tear down and destroy all that is holy, all that is pure, all morality, all sense of decency
- To destroy and tear down governments; pervert justice; and establish atheistic immoral leaders.
- To discredit Christian leaders, to weaken their godly influence in our world; to silence their voices.
- To divide the body of Jesus; to bring division and strife within churches; to get the Church sidetracked from its true purpose of winning souls into the Kingdom of God.
- To destroy all Christians! To steal their joy, to destroy their confidence in God, to tempt them to turn their back on God and sin against Him.
- To stop you from growing up into the full stature of Jesus, to stop you from doing God’s will
- To kill you!
- To have you cast into hell!
God has not left us alone. We can penetrate deep into the Spirit and destroy the works of the enemy with the powerful weapons God has given us.
The weapons God has provided for us are not “carnal” weapons. They are not man-made physical weapons. They are not weapons that you can see or feel with your natural senses. The weapons we have at our disposal are designed and created by God. They are capable of doing what no other weapon on earth can do. They are the only weapons that are able to tear down satan´s strongholds and deal effectively with the problems we face.
God has let loose a great personal revival of His Spirit into the hearts of those willing to be totally His. If you are willing, God will do the same for you. God has a people, a people of war!
These people are holy, totally committed sons of God who are empowered with His strength. God is about to build you up in Him with power, and knowledge of His Son to equip you to take back by force what satan has stolen from the Kingdom of God. (2 Timothy3:1-13) (Ephesians 1:17-19)
It does not matter where you are in spiritual growth, or how long you have been a Christian, or what you have done with your spiritual life thus far. From this point, realize, that you are being moulded in The Spirit, not into an organization, but into a living, breathing, marching, overcoming warring limb of The Body of Jesus.
The war trumpet has sounded. It is time to go to battle! It is time to harvest! Jesus saith unto them; “My meat is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work. Say not ye there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:34-35)
As end time people of God, or let me rather say; as end time “spiritual warriors” God has planned for us to be fully equipped for battle and has provided every weapon of warfare we will need to be victorious. These are the same powerful weapons which Jesus used to defeat the enemy when He walked the earth.
God has provided you with spiritual armour that will make you invincible and invulnerable to satan´s attacks and He will position you beyond defeat (Ephesians 6:11) It is possible to live in 100 percent victory over satan…but your victory is not automatic. God has given you His Armour…but you must put it on.
The Belt of Truth
As people of God, the very first piece of spiritual armour we must be sure we have on as we face the enemy is the “belt” or “girdle” of truth. Paul said our “loins” are to be girded with truth. What are the loins Paul referred to, and how are we to gird them with truth? The “loins” refers to the chief seat of bodily strength. The body is knit to the loins. If the loins fail, the whole body fails. The loins we are to gird with truth are our minds and spirits.
The Apostle Peter, in writing to believers who were distressed because of the tremendous trials they were going through, said… “gird up the loins of your mind…” (1 Peter 1;13) If our minds and spirits are strong, if we have a clear understanding of the truth, we will be strong and immovable even during the greatest trial, temptation, or attack of the enemy.
It is in your mind or spirit that the battle will either be won or lost. This is the reason why you as a spiritual warrior, must gird or clothe your mind with the truth so that you will be able to stand strong against all of satan´s strategies and deceptions.
Jesus was full of truth! His entire life, His actions, His words were a full expression of the truth. Jesus said; “I am the way, the Truth, and the life”(John 14:6)
Before going to the cross, He told Pilate, “…To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18:37) Through Jesus’ life, He manifested the truth concerning the divine nature of God. He revealed the truth concerning the laws and judgments of God. He revealed the truth concerning the Kingdom of God. He revealed the truth concerning Himself, His life, death and resurrection. He was and still is today the Source of all truth.
Having His mind girded with truth, Jesus was invulnerable to satan’s attacks. In the wilderness, satan tried to defeat Jesus by twisting and perverting the truth:
“And the adversary said to Him, “If Thou art God’s Son, speak unto this stone, that it become bread.” And Jesus made answer unto him. “It is written: Not on bread alone shall man live.” And leading Him up, he shewed Him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in a moment of time. And the adversary said to Him, “Unto Thee will I give this authority, all together, and their glory; because unto me hath it been delivered up, and to whomsoever I please, I give it: Thou therefore, if Thou wilt worship before me, it shall all be Thine.” And answering Jesus said to him, “It is written: God shalt thou worship, and unto Him alone render divine service.” And he led Him into Jerusalem, and set Him upon the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, “If Thou art God’s Son, cast Thyself from hence down; for it is written, Unto His messengers will He give command concerning Thee, to keep vigilant watch over Thee, and on hands will they take Thee up, lest once Thou strike against a stone , Thy foot.” And Jesus answering, said to him, “It is said: Thou shalt not put to the test God.” And having concluded every temptation, the adversary departed from Him untill a fitting season. (Luke 4:3-13)
Jesus was ready for the encounter with satan. He was prepared and fully equipped. He had on the whole armour of YAHVAH. The lies and deception of the enemy could not penetrate His mind. His mind was girded with the truth.
He knew the truth concerning Himself. He knew the truth concerning God’s will and purpose for His life. He knew the truth concerning His power over the enemy-that He had been called, anointed and sent to the earth with power and authority to destroy the works of the devil.
Jesus revealed a powerful force: It is truth that sets man free from satan’s bondage; it is truth that reveals man’s sin; it is truth that reveals the righteousness of God; it is truth that removes the veil of darkness from man’s eyes; it is truth that harvests souls.
It is the truth, The Spirit of Truth that empowers us for the harvest. The Holy Spirit, The Spirit of Truth, which proceeds forth from The Father, is at work on earth today in the sons of God, pointing men to the truth.
He is at work in you and me, transforming and conforming us into Jesus the Messiah’s Image. He is at work in the sons of God, convicting men of sin and drawing them to God. That is why Christians are witnessing a tremendous harvest of souls around the world. He is at work in you and me preparing the Body of Jesus for His return.
To be the same powerful spiritual warrior as Jesus, you must have your mind girded with the truth. Truth is power!
Your strength as an end time spiritual warrior depends on your knowledge of the truth. To stand firm against satan’s attacks, you must know the truth and come to a full and accurate knowledge of The Son of God. (Ephesians 4:13).
You must know the truth concerning who you are as a son of The Living God. You must know the truth concerning God’s end time plan, the things that will be happening before Jesus’ second coming.
As you go out into battle, as you face your anxieties and problems in the harvest field, gird up your mind with the belt of truth and you will be invulnerable and unconquerable!
The Breastplate of Righteousness
In accordance with God’s purpose and plan to have a people, children who would be created in His own image, who would reflect His righteousness and holiness, He sent Jesus.
“Him who knew not sin, in our behalf He made to be sin, that we might become God’s righteousness in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“For what was impossible by the law, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh: In order that the righteous requirment of the law might be fulfilled in us, who not according to flesh do walk, but according to Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-4)
In the form of human flesh, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, to break the power of sin over man, to restore man to his original position of holiness and righteousness.
Jesus, who was born of the Spirit, possessed a perfect, sinless nature. He was holy, righteous and pure. (In the form of human flesh, Jesus lived His life on earth free from all sin. He “did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22). He was “without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19)
Clothed in the breastplate of righteousness, Jesus faced every temptation of satan in 100 percent victory. Clothed in the breastplate of righteousness, Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the law. He lived His life in complete conformity to God’s will.
All His thoughts, purposes and actions were centered on doing God’s will. All His thoughts were pure and holy. His words were pure and holy. He spoke only those things The Father directed Him to speak. (John 12:50) His actions towards all those with whom He came in contact were holy and just above reproach. He was pure and undefiled in all things.
Clothed in the breastplate of righteousness, He was 100 percent obedient to the Father, and through that obedience became the “author of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:9) He was obedient “unto death.” He presented Himself as the holy sinless Lamb of God, without spot or blemish, and poured out His blood that you and I would be reconciled to the Father, that we might be restored to a position of holiness and righteousness.
He gave His life that we would be able to walk holy and blameless before Him in love. Through Jesus’ righteousness, man was cleansed and made righteous!
Clothed in the breastplate of righteousness, Jesus defeated satan, broke the power of sin and made it possible through His blood for man to live in 100 percent victory over sin!
God has planned for you to be clothed in His righteousness. The moment you received Jesus by faith, you were cleansed from all sin and were clothed in His righteousness-not your own righteousness, but Jesus’.
By faith you put on the breastplate of righteousness. When you received Jesus, not only were you cleansed from all sin-acquitted of all wrongdoing-you were considered righteous, blameless before God.
Paul told the Colossians: “And you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight” (Colossians 1:21-22)
He wrote to the Corinthians concerning this: “So that ye come short in no gift of favour, ardently awaiting the revelation of our Master Jesus the Messiah: Who will also confirm you unto the end, unaccusable in the day of our Master Jesus the Messiah: Faithful is God, through Whom ye have been called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus the Messiah our Master.” (1 Corinthians 1:7-9)
Jesus, through His righteousness, His death and His resurrection, has made it possible for you to stand before Him on the Day of our God, at His second coming, holy and blameless. When you received Jesus by faith and put on the breastplate of righteousness, you were restored to the position of holiness and righteousness God intended for man to have.
You were born of God and given a brand-new nature that is created in righteousness and true holiness. God placed the Spirit of His own Son within you (Ezekiel 36:27). The power of sin has been broken in your life!
Paul told the Romans: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin”(Romans 6:6)
For sin shall not have dominion over you (Romans 6:14)
Through Jesus you have power over sin. You are no longer controlled by the sinful nature but by His Spirit within you. Through His Spirit within you, you now have the ability to walk before God holy and blameless.
When you received Jesus by faith and “put on” the breastplate of righteousness, you received His righteousness. Paul said, “Yea doubtless! and I account all things to be loss, because of the excellency of the knowledge of the Messiah Jesus my Master, for the sake of whom, the loss of all things have I suffered, and do account them refuse in order that the Messiah I may win, and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is by law, but that which is through faith in the Messiah, the righteousness which is of God upon my faith.”(Philippians 3:8-9)
True righteousness is in Jesus. Through our spiritual union with Him, we are one with Him. He is in us and we are in Him. In this relationship, we are “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). We are in Him, “But of Him are ye in the Messiah Jesus, Who hath been made wisdom unto us from God, both righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Clothed in the breastplate of righteousness, you have the ability to live your life as Jesus lived His life in complete victory over sin! It is possible! By His Spirit that is within you, you can be holy and blameless. You can be righteous as Jesus is righteous.
The Gospel of Peace
Cover your heart and mind with the gospel of peace. To be fully equipped and prepared to win souls you must have your feet shod with the preparation of the “gospel of peace,” this will make you ready to fearlessly and boldly march forward into battle through every obstacle, face every danger-even death!
Even during the fiercest battle when you are faced on every hand with adverse circumstances when satan is attacking your body, your family, your finances, when your mind is being attacked by fear, doubt and unbelief; you will be strong and immovable. Your feet will be planted firmly so that you will not be moved, if your feet have been shod with the “preparation of the gospel of peace.”
There are two different functions that the “preparation of the gospel of peace” fulfils in strengthening and preparing us for battle:
- The “preparation of the gospel of peace” strengthens us to face any trial and endure any hardship. During battle it sustains us.
- The “preparation of the gospel of peace” prepares us and makes us ready at any moment to proclaim the message of salvation and peace through the cross.
As an end time spiritual warrior, God has provided you with “preparation of the gospel of peace.” It is part of the whole armour of God which He supplies. It cannot be manufactured or produced by human effort. God has provided it for us, but we must pick it up and put it on.
The “preparation of the gospel of peace” covers the heart and mind. Isaiah said this: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee” (Isaiah 26:3)
Paul was not talking about a superficial peace that comes when everything is going smoothly. He was talking about God’s peace, a supernatural peace-that goes beyond our own limited understanding! He was talking about a peace that is there constantly protecting and guarding our minds, strengthening us so that we will not fall! He was talking about God’s peace that is not clothed by sin or a guilty conscience, or that is disturbed by the fear of death!
God never intended for His people to be fearful worried or anxious. God has planned for your heart and mind to be clothed with His Peace! Jesus did not just bring the message of peace; He was the “Prince of Peace.” We too are the source of bringing God’s peace to man. Walk in this peace. Clothe yourself with the “gospel of peace.”
The Shield of Faith,The Helmet of Salvation and The Sword of The Spirit
“Because whatsoever hath been born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, our faith!” (1 John 5:4)
Clothed in the whole armour of God, you become a Mighty Conqueror! Clothed in the whole armour of God you will no longer be on the defensive, but on the offensive. You will move out into the harvest field in the power of Almighty God to push back the power of the enemy and tear down his strongholds.
Paul told the Ephesians: “With all, having taken up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall have power, all the ignited darts of the wicked one to quench; And the helmet of salvation welcome ye, and the sword of the Spirit, which is what God had spoken.” (Ephesians 6:16-17)
In addition to having put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod their feet with the “preparation of the gospel of peace,” they were to take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. The word “take” in these verses means “to receive or to accept.”
As end time spiritual warriors, we must “Take Up”-accept- these powerful pieces of spiritual armour that God has given us and use them to live our lives in 100 percent victory over all the power of the enemy.
The Shield of Faith:
Jesus is the Author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) Laying all else aside, you must look to Jesus who is the source of your faith…Who is the “Author and Finisher” of your faith. After having listed all these great men and women of the Bible and what they had accomplished through faith, Paul said, “Looking unto Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith…” If you want to have conquering faith that is able to quench all the fiery darts of satan, you must look to Jesus.
Of all the great men and women of faith, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses- that Paul listed, he then presented Jesus as the supreme example of perfect faith.
The life Jesus lived in the flesh was a life of faith. He possessed a strong, unquestioning trust and faith in The Father. He had faith in the fact that God the Father was dwelling in Him, working His works through Him.
By Faith in the Word, Jesus defeated satan in the wilderness. By Faith He performed miracles-healed the blind, the deaf, the lame and raised the dead. By Faith He proclaimed the words of life.
By Faith He endured the agony of the cross. By Faith He defeated satan.
He rose in triumph over satan and all his evil principalities and powers and is now seated in a position of supreme power and authority at the right hand of The Father!
The war has been won! Jesus has overcome the world! Because of His victory over satan, He has become the “Author” the source of your faith. In Him you have faith. It is through Him and by Him your faith increases.
As you “abide” in Him through constant fellowship and communion, and as His words “abide” remain in you, moulding and conforming you into His Image; you have access to His Faith which enables you to “ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you”(John 15:7)
In Him you have the same conquering faith that enabled Him to conquer satan, to heal the sick, open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears; to proclaim the “gospel of peace”; to present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Him; to suffer, to endure every trial and temptation; to face death knowing that God will raise you up!
The Helmet of Salvation:
“But let us who live in the light, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.” (1 Thessalonians 5:8) The helmet God has provided which protects and strengthens us against satan’s attacks on our spirits is the “hope of salvation.”
satan´s objective in all his deceptions, temptations, and attacks on our faith, is to cause us to turn our backs on God, and ultimately lose our right-standing with HIM, he tries to weaken us by causing us to doubt our salvation, to lose the hope that is within us of eternal life. When we have the assurance of ultimate victory over satan through Jesus, Who is in us, we are able to fight valiantly regardless of the fiercest attack of the enemy (Psalm 60:12).
Wearing the “hope of salvation” as a helmet protecting our spirits, we can fearlessly and boldly hold our heads up during battle knowing that our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28). We are able to concentrate all our energies on winning the war.
Jesus came to earth wearing the helmet of salvation. He is our hope of salvation (1 Timothy 1:1). Through Him we have hope-favourable and confident expectation-of receiving all that is contained in the promise of God concerning our salvation.
It is a supernatural hope given to us by The Holy Spirit. Paul´s prayer for the Romans was, “Now theGod of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that ye may surpass in the hope in the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
As we take the “hope of salvation” that God provides us through The Holy Spirit as a helmet, our spirits are strengthened and it becomes an “anchor” keeping us strong and steadfast during the storms, trials and testing’s we face.
“Wherein God, being more abundantly disposed to shew forth unto the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His counsel, mediated with an oath. In order that, through means of two unchangeable things, in which it was impossible for God to make Himself false, a mighty consolation we might have, who have fled along to grasp the forelying hope, which we have as an anchor of the soul, both secure and firm, and entering into the interior of the veil;” (Hebrews 6:17-19)
The “hope of salvation” is not a natural hope that carries with it the possibility of not obtaining what is desired. It is a supernatural hope given to us by The Holy Spirit that not only enables us to look forward with great expectation to all that is contained in our salvation, but also brings with it the assurance that God’s plan and purpose will not change and that we will receive all that we have hoped for.
Salvation involves more than the immediate forgiveness of our sins. It includes justification, sanctification, and deliverance from sickness. It also includes all the blessings God has given men through the Holy Spirit.
In addition to these blessings of salvation that belong to us now, we have as part of our hope of salvation:
- The Hope of His calling (the prospect before all those who respond to God’s call) (Ephesians1:8)
- The Hope of righteousness (right-standing with God at the coming of The Messiah)(Galatians5:5)
- The Hope of The Gospel (the fulfilment of all the promises in the Word) (Colossians 1:23)
- The Hope of the “Glory” of God, all that God has and is (Romans5:12) (Colossians1:27)
- The blessed Hope of Jesus’ appearance (Titus2:13)
- The Hope of resurrection and the gathering of the saints in the air at Jesus’ coming. (1Thessalonians 4:16)
- The Hope of deliverance from the wrath of God that will be poured out upon the earth. (1Thessalonians 1:10)
- The Hope of eternal life (Titus 3:7)
It was the hope of salvation that kept the early Christians from fainting and giving up while they were being persecuted, tortured and killed. God has planned to make us steadfast and strong during battle, by providing us with “hope of salvation” as a necessary and vital part of our spiritual armour which makes us invulnerable to satan´s attacks. As an end time child of God, as an end time “spiritual warrior” you must have on the whole armour of God including “the helmet of salvation.”
To cover yourself with the “hope of salvation,” you must discipline yourself to meditate on the Word and to act in faith on the promises in The Word.
As an end time harvester, you must be ready at all times to give an account of the hope that is in you” be ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15)
As a ‘good soldier’ you must ‘hold fast’ to your hope until the end… “But the Messiah as a Son over His house, whose house are we, if the freedom of speech and boast of the hope,, throughout, firm we hold fast.” (Hebrews 3:6)
The Sword of The Spirit
“For living is the word of God, and energetic and more cutting than any knife with two edges, and penetrating as far as a dividing asunder of soul and spirit, of joints also and marrow, and able to judge the impulses and designs of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
The sword, the Word, is a powerful weapon which God has provided which makes it possible for us to conquer an enemy that has already been defeated.
It is the Sword the Spirit wields! As an end time harvester, an end time warrior, you must pick up “the Sword of the Spirit” and allow the Holy Spirit to cut away all the sin and dead works in your life.
Be receptive to what the Holy Spirit reveals and be obedient. Repent and draw upon the power of the Holy Spirit to walk in victory.
Like a “mighty warrior,” fully equipped for battle, Jesus faced satan and defeated him using “the sword of the Spirit”. Isaiah prophesied concerning Him, “But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked” (Isaiah 11:4)
John saw a vision of Jesus’ second coming. The heavens were opened and he saw Jesus descending on a white horse. “And arrayed with a mantle sprinkled with blood, and His Name hath been called, The Word of God.” (Revelation 19:13)
The armies of heaven followed Him on white horses. “And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15)
God has planned for His Word to be the supreme authority upon the earth. It is God’s Word that will judge sinners as they stand before Jesus. At His second coming, Jesus is going to slay the wicked by the power of His Words!
During His life on earth as a harvester and mighty warrior wielding a sword in battle, Jesus confronted satan and defeated him. Knowing that He had been commissioned, sent forth and anointed by God to destroy the works of the devil, everywhere Jesus encountered the works of the enemy He confronted satan and took authority over him by speaking the Word.
The words coming forth from His mouth were powerful, lethal weapons hitting their mark and driving satan out.
Evil spirits were powerless before Him. With just one word from His lips, Jesus cast them out! Everywhere Jesus went He confronted the power of the enemy, spoke the Word and destroyed satan’s strongholds in the lives of the people.
Jesus confronted satan and defeated him by speaking the Word. God has planned for you to be able to do the same. He has planned for you to confront the enemy, wherever you find him, and by speaking the Word destroy his strongholds and conquer him in the power and authority of The Holy Spirit!
God sent forth His Word into the earth and it will not return unto Him void. He has planned for His Word to be in you and as you speak it forth, it will be as a mighty weapon driving the enemy out of your life and circumstances. Out of the lives of those who need to be harvested!
Just as a soldier would never go into battle unarmed-without a sword or a gun-you must never face the enemy without picking up the powerful, almighty Word of The Living God which is the ultimate authority upon this earth.
The Powerful Offensive Weapon of Prayer
“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and The Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said; “Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:21-22)
Through prayer Jesus walked in the full knowledge of God. Jesus entered the arena of spiritual warfare and faced the power of satan wielding the powerful weapon of prayer.
At His baptism, as Jesus came out of the muddy waters of the Jordan River, He began to pray. Standing there with the water streaming down His face and pouring off His body, Jesus began to pray, to commune with God, to surrender Himself totally to the plan and purpose God had for His life.
Here at the beginning of His ministry and throughout His life, prayer was a strong and powerful force.
Jesus had a vibrant, living relationship with The Father through prayer. He lived in constant communion with God.
He would often rise up early in the morning and go to a solitary place to pray. After times of intense teaching and ministry to the people, He would find a place where He could be alone with The Father.
It was during these times, alone in prayer that Jesus came to know The Father intimately, to the point at which He could say, “As The Father knoweth me, even so know I The Father…”(John10:15)
Although He was The Son of God, His knowledge and relationship with The Father was not automatic. He was in the form of human flesh and it was necessary for Him to learn the things God wanted Him to say and do. It was necessary for Him to draw strength from His Father.
Jesus said, “…I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things” (John 8:28); “I speak that which I have seen with My Father…” (John 8:38). He told the Jews, “…Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth The Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth The Son likewise. For The Father loveth The Son, and sheweth him all things that Himself doeth”(John 5:19-20)
Jesus did nothing independently of His Father. Everything He did, He did because of what His Father had revealed to Him. Jesus said He could only do those things He “saw” The Father doing and that because The Father loves Him that He “shows” Him all that He does.
Through prayer Jesus entered into a vital union with God in which He and The Father were one. He could say, “…The Father is in Me, and I in Him” (John 10:38); “I and The Father are one” (John 10:30), because He had entered a powerful dimension of The Spirit through prayer in which The Father fully revealed Himself and His Will to Him.
Through prayer Jesus was able to “see” in The Spirit the things The Father wanted Him to do. Through prayer Jesus was able to “hear” in The Spirit The words The Father wanted Him to speak.
And Jesus prayed and talked with The Father, The Father made Himself known to Him in all His Fullness. He revealed His character…His love, His mercy, His power! He revealed His Will to save, heal, deliver and set men free from satan’s power.
As Jesus “saw” these things in The Spirit, through prayer He did them. He and The Father were one. Whatever Jesus “saw” The Father doing, whatever He saw was His Fathers Will, He did it.
It was through prayer that Jesus was able to penetrate into the realm of The Spirit. It was through prayer that Jesus was able to know God, to come into a spiritual union with Him in which they were one. It was through prayer that The Father revealed Himself and His Will to Jesus. It was this knowledge of God, Jesus gained through prayer, this union with The Father that was the source (the very foundation) of Jesus’ great strength as a spiritual warrior.
Knowing God was with Him, dwelling in Him, He was ready to face every situation, every obstacle, and every attack of the enemy.
In order for you to become the same powerful spiritual warrior as Jesus, you must pick up your weapon of prayer and use it first to come into this same powerful position in which you are one with Him in which you are able to “see” and “hear” in The Spirit what He wants you to do and to say. There is only one way that you are going to be able to do this through prayer!
The only way you are really going to know Jesus in all His fullness is by spending time alone with Him in prayer. The only way you are going to be able to know His will for your life is through prayer. The only way you are going to be able to penetrate into the realm of The Spirit where you are able to “see” and “hear” what He wants you to do and to say is through prayer.
Just as it was necessary for Jesus, in the form of human flesh, to use prayer as a means of coming to the full knowledge of God, it is necessary for you to use prayer as a means of coming into the ‘full and accurate knowledge’ of Jesus.
“Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth The Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth The Son likewise.” (John 5:19).
Your knowledge of Jesus the Messiah, your relationship, your union with Him through prayer is the source (the foundation) of your strength. Unless you are willing to discipline your life, as Jesus did, to include constant times of prayer alone with Him in which you are allowing Him to reveal Himself and His will to you, you will not be able to survive. We must know Jesus in His fullness through prayer.
Jesus was prepared and ready at all times to go into battle against the enemy and take victory because He had prepared Himself for battle through Prayer!
At the Jordan River, Jesus was baptized in The Holy Spirit. He was “full and controlled by The Holy Spirit.” He was fully equipped, and empowered to begin the work God had given Him to do, to destroy the works of the devil.
After this experience at the Jordan, Jesus was led by The Holy Spirit into the wilderness: There in the wilderness Jesus ‘shut Himself in’ with God. He set His heart and mind to seek God. He focused all of His energies, physical, mental, spiritual, in one direction: to hear from God.
Our Master Jesus was the greatest intercessor who ever lived. Just hours before He offered Himself up to be betrayed, denied, mocked, beaten, tortured and crucified, He won through intercessory prayer breakthroughs that would protect and shape His Church forever!
As a child of God, as a soldier in God’s Army, you know that there are no victories without battles. Yet, who can fully imagine the extent of satan´s brutal attack on Jesus, as the fiercest powers and principalities of the evil realm converged to try and prevent this intercession from going forth?
Which one of us can truly comprehend the intensity of this invisible war as Jesus stood in the gap, winning great victories for us by praying.
“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are Yours…Holy Father, protect them by The power of Your Name, The Name You gave Me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that Name You gave Me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that The Scripture would be fulfilled. I am coming to You now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them Your Word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth: You Word is Truth. As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify Myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You have given Me, that they may be one as We are One: I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me. Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know You, I know You, and they know that You have sent Me…”(John 17:9, 11-25)
Through prayer, Jesus forever won unity, protection, sanctification, love and glory for His Church.
The Powerful Offensive Weapon of Fasting
Even now therefore, urgeth God, “Turn ye unto Me with all your heart; and with fasting and with weeping and with lamentation; And rend your heart and not your garments;” turn therefore unto God; for gracious and full of compassion is He, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and will grieve over calamity. (Joel 2;12-13)
Without this weapon you are not fully equipped for battle. Of all the powerful weapons God has given His people, the most neglected and often forgotten weapon in the church today is the mighty weapon of fasting.
Very few Christians realize the tremendous impact fasting has in the spiritual realm. Others fail to see the need and refuse to discipline their lives to bring the appetites of their body into full submission to God for seasons of prayer and fasting.
As an end time spiritual warrior you must pick up and use your weapon of fasting. It is a vital part of your equipment as a soldier, without it you are not fully equipped and prepared for the battle.
Using the mighty weapon of fasting entire nations have been delivered out of the hands of the enemy; nations have turned to God.
Jesus recognized the tremendous power of fasting. Before He began His ministry, He was led by The Holy Spirit into the wilderness where He ate nothing for 40 days. During this time Jesus fasted as a means of consecrating and setting Himself apart to do the work God had given Him to do.
It was a means of humbling Himself and acknowledging His total dependence upon God as the Source of His strength. It was a means of receiving direction and revelation from God concerning His will and purpose for His life. It was a means of preparing to face the enemy.
The Jews were required by law to fast during the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27) and to fast four times during the year to commemorate the four major events connected with the destruction of Jerusalem (Zechariah 8:19): in the tenth month to commemorate the beginning of the siege (2 Kings 25:1); in the fourth month to commemorate the fall of the city (Jeremiah 39:2); in the fifth month to commemorate the destruction of the city and temple (2 Kings 25:8-9); in the seventh month to commemorate the murder of Gedaliah (2 Kings 25:25).
One day the disciples of John the Baptist questioned Jesus concerning fasting: “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered, “Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast” (Matthew 9:15).
The answer Jesus gave in this verse is very significant to the Church today. Jesus was referring to Himself as the “bridegroom” and the disciples as “the children of the bride chamber.” In essence, He was saying that while He was with the disciples, it was not the time for fasting. Fasting was associated with a time of mourning, of sorrow, of weeping. While Jesus was with them it was not a time of mourning but a time of joy. The kingdom of God had come and, as long as He was with them, it was a time of rejoicing.
However, He spoke of a time that would come when He, the bridegroom, would be taken and then would come a time for mourning, for fasting!
The time Jesus was referring to in this verse is now! The “bridegroom” has been taken from us. Jesus has ascended into heaven and now is the appointed time for the church to fast in preparation for His return, for the coming day of the Messiah.
Our position in this end time harvest is on our faces before God, weeping, travailing, interceding. By His Spirit, God is calling His people first to repentance and then to intercede on behalf of the lost.
As we pick up our weapon of prayer, we must also pick up and activate our weapon of fasting. These two weapons work together to penetrate, to break through, the resistance that the enemy has built.
Fasting strengthens and intensifies your prayers. There will be times when, even after spending days in prayer, it will seem as if the heavens are brass and that you haven´t been able to break through and receive the answer you need. But, as you begin to use your weapon of fasting, as you begin to humble yourself through fasting and prayer before God, you will be able to break through and claim the victory.
By His Spirit, God is calling His people to “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly” (Joel 2:15). To ‘sanctify’ means ‘to set apart for God.’
We are to begin by setting apart a fast: to draw near to God, to consecrate ourselves for the work He has given us to do, to humble ourselves before God, and to repent of all sin and disobedience in our lives.
The fasting God honours is the fast that begins with the attitude of the heart. God wants people today, to turn to Him with all our hearts and with fasting. Fasting is not simply a matter of not eating for a specific time. It involves humbling ourselves before God. It involves a genuine sorrow for our sins and a repentant heart.
It involves a willingness to turn from our own ways, from every wrong attitude, every evil thought, every evil desire, everything that is displeasing to God.
As we prepare for the Coming of Jesus, we must first set our minds and hearts to set aside times in which we are fasting, where we are weeping before Him, asking Him to expose all sin in our lives, mourning, confessing and repenting of our sins. Then, God wants to bring us beyond the place of fasting and mourning for our own sins, to place in which the Holy Spirit moves upon us to begin to fast, to weep and mourn-for the sins that have crept into the Church, into our communities, into our nations and throughout the world.
“So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sacloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.” (Jonah 3:5) Fasting is a mighty weapon God has given us. It is a weapon which brings us into a powerful position to be heard by God and to prevail with God.
If ever there was a time when God’s people needed to fast, it is today! Jesus said, “…when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast” (Matthew 9:15)
Judgment upon the earth is coming. It will happen as it has been prophesied. But, God has placed within our hands mighty weapons of fasting and prayer that are capable of moving the hand of God. It is time for God’s people to blow the trumpet in Zion and sanctify a fast!
Using these mighty weapons, the Church of The Living God can turn entire nations around as we prepare for the Day of Jesus, when Jesus will return and judgment will come upon the earth. We can be used by God to save untold thousands from the destruction that is coming.
By His Spirit God is sounding an alarm. He is looking for men and women, like Daniel and Ezekiel, who will fast, weep, mourn, and repent for the sins of the people.
He is looking for those who will stand in the gap, who will “sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.”
Let us ‘Put On’ the complete “Armor of God” and do HIS will.